A Valuing Water inspired regional process in Latin America and the Caribbean
On March 9th, 2023, a second online working session was held with 35 actors from different sectors of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region, who were interested in accelerating progress towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation from the perspective of valuing water. Most of the participants had already participated in the previous webinars and/or the first face-to-face working session, held in Santiago, Chile, on January 31st. The objectives of these activities were to promote the implementation of the five United Nations Valuing Water Principles (VWP) and to empower future champions in the subject, as well as to contextualize and mainstream the Principles at the local and regional level of LAC, identifying the concrete needs in the region to apply the VWP.
The working session was introduced and moderated by Reinaldo Peñailillo from Deltares. Sofia de la Rosa from the Valuing Water Initiative (VWI) summarized the regional process carried out to date, which had served to identify the actors present, relevant cases that translate the VWP into tangible actions, commitments to continue advancing in this regard, as well as a range of support needs. Sofia stressed that the next step was to capture these commitments and needs through Valuing Water Charter. Sofia explained that the reflection on the regional process and the presentation of commitments, both in LAC and in Africa, would serve as main inputs for the side event at the UN Water Conference to be held in New York on March 24th.
Subsequently, three examples of commitments to the VWP were presented, at regional, national and subnational levels:
Elisa Blanco of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) presented the results of the Regional Water Dialogues, held in Santiago, Chile in early February. She highlighted that the third day of these Dialogues had focused on a “Brainstorming of Solutions”, co-organized by ECLAC and VWI, and that this day had given input to the Regional Water Action Agenda in LAC. Elisa explained that the Agenda was the main outcome of the Dialogues, and would also be presented as a regional input to the UN Water Conference. In this context, she underlined that the participants in the Dialogues had agreed that the VWP can be an important tool to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
Yonalli Hernández, from the Municipal Government of Berriozabal, Chiapas, Mexico, explained that, after the working session and the Regional Water Dialogues of ECLAC, she had held meetings with the municipal president, who had agreed to sign a commitment to accept the VWP. Additionally, the VWP would be presented as a point of agreement in the council, so that, from all areas of municipal government, it can be a strategic axis. On the other hand, she explained that, in her capacity as a substitute local deputy, she was supporting the internalization of the topic in this area. In summary, Yonalli explained her commitment, as well as that of the various bodies mentioned, to implement the Principles within their scope.
Carlos Estévez, representing the Ministry of Public Works of Chile, presented that, although the commitment of his country in the matter was still pending, the intention was to integrate the VWP in the formation of new Basin Councils in the 16 pilot basins that would inform later the related project of law, which was expected to be formulated this year.
Afterwards, Colin Herron of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) explained the group dynamics, in which attendees were divided into five groups, to discuss in two rounds. In the first round, all participants would have the opportunity to present their initial commitments, as well as their needs to achieve them. Needs could be presented under the categories: enabling environment, institutional arrangements, water management tools, financing, capacity development and “other”. In the second round, having listened to the commitments and needs of the other participants, everyone would have the opportunity to reframe their commitments and needs, or strengthen them by relating them to what was expressed by the other participants. In this way, it was intended to arrive with collective commitments that would match the supply and demand of support, and to translate the VWP into tangible actions.
After the introduction, the participants were divided into groups in parallel, to perform the exercise. Although participants had begun to establish ties and connections of mutual support, both thematic and geographical, the time was not enough to present the full wealth of inputs collected. Among the comments made in the plenary session, it is highlighted that many of the needs are repeated among the groups, including education, capacity building, awareness-raising and access to sources of financing. On the other hand, several participants insisted that this effort had the potential to add to something bigger than individual efforts, and that it should be continued beyond the Conference in New York.
To close the working session, Sofía de la Rosa summarized that the activities that had been held in this regional process had led to a community of practice (WhatsApp group), and that the VWI was building a digital learning platform that would allow this community to continue the rich exchange and collective work in the future, not only in LAC, but also between this region and Africa. Sofia invited all attendees to follow the upcoming VWI side event in New York and keep informed of the next steps in this process.